Bacteria Conferring Bioprotection and/or Biofertilizer Properties

Abstract

The present invention relates to bacteria conferring bioprotection and/or biofertilizer properties to plants into which they are inoculated. More particularly, the present invention relates to endophyte strains of Paenibacillus sp., plants infected with such strains and related methods.

1 - 29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . A substantially purified or isolated endophyte strain isolated from a plant of the Poaceae family, wherein said endophyte is a strain of  Paenibacillus  sp. which provides bioprotection and/or biofertilizer phenotypes to plants into which it is inoculated. 
     
     
         31 . An endophyte according to  claim 30 , wherein the bioprotection and/or biofertilizer phenotype includes production of the bioprotectant compound in the plant into which the endophyte is inoculated. 
     
     
         32 . An endophyte according to  claim 30 , wherein the bioprotection and/or biofertilizer phenotype is selected from the group consisting of:
 nitrogen fixation;   phosphate solubilisation and/or assimilation;   production of organic acids; and   production of secondary metabolites   
       in the plant into which the endophyte is inoculated. 
     
     
         33 . An endophyte according to  claim 30 , wherein the endophyte is selected from:
 i) strain S02 as described herein and as deposited with The National Measurement Institute of 1/153 Bertie St, Port Melbourne, Victoria 3207 Australia on 19 Feb. 2021 with accession number V21/003092; or   ii) strain S25 as described herein and as deposited with The National Measurement Institute of 1/153 Bertie St, Port Melbourne, Victoria 3207 Australia on 19 Feb. 2021 with accession number V21/003093.   
     
     
         34 . An endophyte according to  claim 30 , wherein the bioprotection and/or biofertilizer phenotype is a result of the differential gene expression of one or more gene(s) selected from
 i) nitrogen fixation genes as shown in  FIGS.  5   a    to  5   ac  (SEQ ID NOS: 3 to 31, respectively) or  FIGS.  6   a    to  6   ac  (SEQ ID NOS: 32 to 60, respectively);   ii) phosphate solubilisation, phosphonate cluster (phn) and/or phosphate transporter (pst) genes as shown in  FIGS.  5   a    to  5   ac  (SEQ ID NOS: 3 to 31, respectively) or  FIGS.  6   a    to  6   ac  (SEQ ID NOS: 32 to 60, respectively); or   iii) Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production genes as shown in  FIGS.  5   a    to  5   ac  (SEQ ID NOS: 3 to 31, respectively) or  FIGS.  6   a    to  6   ac  (SEQ ID NOS: 32 to 60, respectively).   
     
     
         35 . An endophyte according to  claim 30 , wherein bioprotection and/or biofertilizer phenotype includes one or both of:
 i) resistance to harmful fungal pathogen growth; and   ii) production of secondary metabolites with antimicrobial bioactivity.   
     
     
         36 . An endophyte according to  claim 35 , wherein the harmful fungal pathogen is selected from  Fusarium  spp.,  Verticillium albo - atrum, Monilia persoon, Alternaria mali, Botrytis cinerea , and  Aspergillus niger.    
     
     
         37 . An endophyte according to  claim 35 , wherein the harmful fungal pathogen is selected from  Colletotrichum graminicola  and  Fusarium verticillioides.    
     
     
         38 . An endophyte according to  claim 35 , wherein the secondary metabolite is a result of differential gene expression of one or more gene cluster(s) as shown in  FIG.  9    (SEQ ID NOS: 61 to 66, respectively). 
     
     
         39 . A plant or part thereof infected with one or more endophytes according to  claim 30 . 
     
     
         40 . A plant, plant seed or other plant part derived from a plant or part thereof according to  claim 39  and stably infected with said one or more endophytes. 
     
     
         41 . A method for producing a bioprotectant compound said method including infecting a plant with an endophyte according to  claim 30  and cultivating the plant under conditions suitable to produce the bioprotectant compound and optionally isolating the bioprotectant compound from the plant. 
     
     
         42 . A method for producing a bioprotectant compound, said method including culturing an endophyte according to  claim 30  under conditions suitable to produce the bioprotectant compound and optionally isolating the bioprotectant compound from the culture medium. 
     
     
         43 . A method of increasing nitrogen use efficiency or increasing nitrogen fixation by a plant, said method including infecting a plant with a bioprotectant compound producing endophyte according to  claim 30 , and cultivating the plant. 
     
     
         44 . A method according to  claim 43 , wherein one or both of the following applies:
 i) the plant is cultivated in the presence of soil nitrogen and/or applied nitrogen; and   ii) the plant is cultivated in soil.   
     
     
         45 . The plant, plant seed or plant part thereof according to  claim 39  wherein the plant into which the endophyte is inoculated is an endophyte-free host plant or part thereof before being stably infected with said endophyte. 
     
     
         46 . The plant, plant seed or plant part thereof according to  claim 39 , wherein the plant into which the endophyte is inoculated is an agricultural plant species selected from one or more of forage grass, turf grass, bioenergy grass, grain crop and industrial crop. 
     
     
         47 . An endophyte according  claim 46 , wherein the plant into which the endophyte is inoculated is selected from one of the groups consisting of:
 i) a forage, turf or bioenergy grass selected from the group consisting of those belonging to the genera  Lolium  and  Festuca , including  L. perenne  (perennial ryegrass),  L. arundinaceum  (tall fescue) and  L. multiflorum  (Italian ryegrass), and those belonging to the  Brachiaria - Urochloa  species complex (panic grasses), including  Brachiaria brizantha, Brachiaria decumbens, Brachiaria humidicola, Brachiaria stolonifera, Brachiaria ruziziensis, B. dictyoneura, Urochloa brizantha, Urochloa decumbens, Urochloa humidicola, Urochloa mosambicensis  as well as interspecific and intraspecific hybrids of  Brachiaria - Urochloa  species complex such as interspecific hybrids between  Brachiaria ruziziensis  x  Brachiaria brizantha, Brachiaria ruziziensis  x  Brachiaria decumbens, [Brachiaria ruziziensis  x  Brachiaria decumbens ] x  Brachiaria brizantha, [Brachiaria ruziziensis  x  Brachiaria brizantha ] x  Brachiaria decumbens;      ii) those belonging to the genus  Triticum , including  T aestivum  (wheat), those belonging to the genus  Hordeum , including  H. vulgare  (barley), those belonging to the genus  Zea , including  Z. mays  (maize or corn), those belonging to the genus  Oryza , including  O. sativa  (rice), those belonging to the genus  Saccharum  including  S. officinarum  (sugarcane), those belonging to the genus Sorghum including  S. bicolor  (sorghum), those belonging to the genus  Panicum , including  P. virgatum  (switchgrass), and those belonging to the genera  Miscanthus, Paspalum, Pennisetum, Poa, Eragrostis  and  Agrostis ; and   iii) a grain crop or industrial crop selected from the group consisting or wheat, barley, oats, chickpeas, triticale, fava beans, lupins, field peas, canola, cereal rye, vetch, lentils, millet/panicum, safflower, linseed, sorghum, sunflower, maize, canola, mungbeans, soybeans and cotton.